Never standing still, Audi steers towards virtualization
Audi site Neckarsulm, Germany, relies on NavVis reality capture solutions for their digital transformation.
Key takeaways
- Audi employs nearly 60,000 at their production sites in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, Germany.
- 250,000 square meters have been scanned at Neckarsulm in 34 working days; roughly 1,000 square meters per hour.
- All production halls at the Neckarsulm site will be scanned digitally, and then the neighboring site at Ingolstadt.
- Now that factory sites are virtually accessible, there's a reduced need for stakeholders to travel and visit the site in person.
- 3D scans are also used as the basis for artificial intelligence, machine learning, and virtual tours.
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Scanning at 1,000 sqm an hour
"I probably know the Audi A6 assembly better than most A6 fitters now," says Alperen Öztürk. He used to work on the Audi A8 assembly line before he took over the operation of the NavVis M6 indoor mobile mapping system, gliding through the massive production halls.
Total area scanned to date is 250,000 square meters in 250 hours, or 34 working days. That roughly equates to 1,000 square meters per hour.
Öztürk steers the mobile mapper through each room at walking pace. The laser scanners above his head capture the surrounding area as he moves, and the initial contours of scan coverage are immediately visible on the display. In a very short time, an accurate digital image of the as-is conditions of existing buildings is created.
“Even while in home office, our factory planners are able to take measurements in production halls without being there or even picking up a ruler. These measurements are then used to create highly accurate plans of the facilities remotely.”
André BongartzPlanning Processes Methods/Standards
Future applications
For next steps, the plan is for all production halls at the Neckarsulm site to be scanned digitally, and then the neighboring site at Ingolstadt. Business trips to other factories around the world would become unnecessary if the factory buildings there also become virtually accessible.
Another possible application of the data generated by NavVis M6 are virtual factory tours. In the foreseeable future, visitors picking up their new cars may be able to move through the assembly line wearing 3D glasses and gain insights into areas that were previously closed to the public.
Data protection is still considered for these tours, as André Bongartz explains: “Even when production is at a standstill, there is always someone on the move in these halls.” So that no persons should be recognizable in the panoramic images, all faces are automatically blurred.
Images and video © 2021 AUDI AG. All rights reserved.
“Even when production is at a standstill, there is always someone on the move in these halls.”
André BongartzPlanning Processes Methods/Standards
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